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Graphs vs Plotly

Graphs

apps.gnome.org

Plotly

plotly.com

Side by side

FigureGraphsPlotly
Price fromFree$24.17/mo
Free planYesYes
Free trial—Yes
Open source——
LinuxYes—
Self-hosted—Yes
Plans published15
Spec score · Data Visualization Software7.8 (#58)9.0 (#8)
Dashboard typestaticinteractive
Data sourcesFiles; SQLite database files; equationsSnowflake,Databricks,BigQuery,PostgreSQL,MySQL,SQL Server,MotherDuck,Oracle,CSV,and anything Python can connect to
Embedded dashboardsNoYes
Free planYesYes
PlatformThe official app page offers installation from Flathub and says Graphs is written with GNOME in mind but should suit other desktop environments.web_and_desktop
Scheduled refreshNoYes

Plans

Graphs

  • GraphsFree

Graphs pricing →

Plotly

  • FreeFree
  • Pro$29 a month
  • EnterprisePriced on request
  • Pro Monthly$29 a month
  • Pro Annual$290 a year

Plotly pricing →

In their own words

Graphs

Graphs is a free Linux desktop application for plotting and manipulating data, released under the GNU General Public License v3.0 or later. It imports column files such as CSV, DAT, XY, and plain text, plus ODS and XLSX spreadsheets, SQLite databases, Panalytical XRDML, Leybold XRY, and Graphs project files. Equations can generate datasets and remain rendered across the plot canvas. Data operations include translation, multiplication, normalization, centering, smoothing, differentiation, integration, Fourier transformation, combining, shifting, cutting, and custom coordinate transformations. Curve fitting offers linear, quadratic, exponential, power-law, logarithmic, sigmoid logistic, Gaussian, and custom-equation models. Results may include parameter confidence margins, confidence bands, R², RMSE, and residual plots. Users can select or create plot styles controlling colors, fonts, lines, markers, error bars, axes, ticks, and grids. Figures export to PNG, JPEG, WebP, SVG, PDF, PostScript, or Encapsulated PostScript, with underlying data export too. Vector output can be edited in applications such as Inkscape. Flathub describes the app as requesting no permissions.

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Plotly

Plotly provides tools for interactive dashboards, data applications, and charts, spanning open-source libraries, hosted services, and self-hosted platforms. Its graphing libraries support Python and JavaScript and offer more than 70 chart types. Dashboards support scheduled refresh and embedding, with connections to Snowflake, Databricks, BigQuery, PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQL Server, MotherDuck, Oracle, CSV, and sources accessible through Python. Plotly Studio runs locally as a desktop app and can deploy to Plotly Cloud; Dash Enterprise can be self-hosted or run on premises. The Free plan includes one creator seat, one Dash or Plotly Studio app, three private viewers, and 10 trial credits, with no credit card required. It does not permit inviting other Creators or Viewers. Pro is $29 a month per Creator seat, with 30 monthly credits, 10 private viewers, and unlimited apps. Credit-powered features stop when credits run out, but published apps continue running. Subscriptions can be canceled without fees or penalties.

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